The Windows Subsystem for Linux is one of the best features the operating system has received in years. Thanks to it, it is possible to run a complete Linux on Windows 10 so that we can use commands and programs of this operating system on Windows without altering the system. However, it seems that Microsoft does not want to stop there, and wants to make Windows a much more universal system. And for this, his new project, which we could test very soon, involves creating a new subsystem, but this time to allow us to run Android apps directly on Windows 10 .
Microsoft has long been interested in allowing the power to open Android applications on PC. Currently the only way to do it is, if we have a new Samsung mobile, do it through the “Your phone” app. However, this leaves out a large number of users, in addition to being tied to the phone, its battery and its performance.
Project Latte, the project that will change everything
Under this name, Microsoft is developing its new subsystem to allow users to run Android apps directly on Windows 10 . This new WSA will be in charge of creating a virtual environment similar to WSL on which to run Android apps. This is possible thanks to the availability of WSL – Graphics Architecture , the graphical interface (still under development) introduced with WSL2 that will allow mounting a wayland server to open Linux apps with graphical interface directly on Windows.
Thanks to this we will be able to use any app (such as WhatsApp) directly in Windows 10 without depending on the mobile at all. We may even be able to run GPU-accelerated games directly on Windows 10 thanks to this subsystem.
At the moment we do not know when this feature will arrive in Windows, although everything indicates that it will be for the 2022 update of the operating system.
Google won’t let you use the Play Store on non-Android devices
The main problem that Microsoft may encounter is when using both the Google Play Store and the Google Play Services . This is because Google does not allow installing either dependency on non-native Android devices. This is where Microsoft can run into problems.
The company is working on a solution that can give the system as many benefits as problems. When this subsystem is ready, developers will be able to package their apps directly in universal format for distribution through the Microsoft Store . This is similar to how, for example, Linux distros for WSL work. The theory is fine, but the main problem with this is going to be malware, and that is that Microsoft does not have a team like Google’s to analyze all the apps that are uploaded to the platform and protect users from threats.
In addition, there are many apps that do not work without Google Play Services , even if they are downloaded from other platforms. Therefore, Microsoft must also take this into account when designing its new Android platform for Windows 10.
